Dr. Ed Reviews

Public Hero Number 1 (1935)

The Great Jean Arthur...

[8/10 · 27 November 2000]

stars in this quirky yet unsuccessful comedy-drama about an undercover cop (Chester Morris) and the plot to capture a gang leader (Joseph Calleia) who happens to be Jean Arthur's brother. Lionel Barrymore is along for the ride as a drunken doctor (a nice comic turn). But it doesn't all come together; even Miss Arthur's beauty and fine comic timing can't save this one.

A Fine Romance (1991)

Andrews and Mastroianni Shine ...

[8/10 · 15 November 2000]

In an otherwise bland comedy about unfaithful spouses. Individually and together, Mastroianni and Andrews (an unlikely team) are magic. He plays a slightly clownish Italian and she, an uptight Britisher. They come together when their spouses run off together. The ending helps redeem this slight film, watchable only because of the great stars.

Tell It to the Marines (1926)

William Haines becomes a star

[8/10 · 25 October 2000]

in this smash hit of 1927 that also boasts a star turn from Lon Chaney. Eleanor Boardman, Carmel Myers, and Warner Oland are also effective in this comedy-drama about the wise guy from Kansas City (Haines) who joins the Marines and grows up under the tutelage of Chaney. From this point in his career until the early 30s (talkies) Haines was a top 5 box office star for MGM.

Frankie & Hazel (2000 TV Movie)

Boring children's fantasy

[1/10 · 23 October 2000]

Boring children's fantasy that gives Joan Plowright star billing but little to do. Sappy kids pursue their dreams. Frankie wants to be a ballerina and a baseball player (yuk) while best-friend Hazel runs for mayor---she's 13! Totally pedestrian in every way, plus the added disadvantage of syrupy performances by the girls as well as the baseball boys. Certainly a lesser effort for Showtime---no limits?

Faithless (1932)

Tallulah's the whole show

[8/10 · 9 October 2000]

The wonderful Tallulah Bankhead shines in her last Hollywood film of the 30s, playing a spoiled heiress who loses her money and her man (Robert Montgomery), as well as her dignity, on the way to learning what is important. Typical weepie of the early 30s is a terrific vehicle for Bankhead in the kind of role often played by Constance Bennett----glamorous, slinky, and bitchy. Excellent dramatic support from the usually comic Hugh Herbert.

Daddy-Long-Legs (1919)

Marvelous Mary Pickford

[10/10 · 18 September 2000]

stars in the first film version of Daddy Long Legs and is dazzling. A peerless comedianne of the silent screen, Pickford plays the spunky orphan as Chaplin would have---lots of physical comedy, sight gags, and pathos. In the 2nd half of the film, Pickford "grows up" and displays here usual warmth. Surely as Pickford films become more available, she will reclaim her place in the Hollywood pantheon. She ranks with Lillian Gish and Gloria Swanson as the best actresses of the silent era, but Pickford remains untouched (even by Mabel Normand and Marie Dressler) as a comedienne!

Marianne (I) (1929)

Charming talkie debut for Marion Davies

[10/10 · 5 September 2000]

Marion Davies starring talkie debut is a total triumph. She plays a French country girl wooed by 3 American doughboys during WW I (nicely played by Lawrence Gray, Cliff Edwards & Benny Rubin). But this is Marion's show all the way. This 1929 musical displays Marion's wonderful comic gifts as well as her pretty good singing & dancing. But it's her personality that shines through in this gutsy career move. She was the first major star to try a foreign accent in her talkie debut (she had co-starred in the Hollywood Revue of 1929 that same year). While other stars were fretting over their accents, Marion jumped right in. Now that her "association" with William Randolph Hearst is old news, today's audiences can watch Davies without the baggage and marvel at her comic timing and versatility. She certainly ranks with the decade's best comediennes: Carole Lombard, Jean Arthur & Myrna Loy!!!

The Love Light (1921)

Unusual Mary Pickford vehicle

[8/10 · 8 August 2000]

Pickford plays an Italian lighthouse keeper who falls in love with a man washed on shore who turns out to be a German spy. Although she has some moments of comedy, this is an adult story about love and redemption. Well written and directed by Frances Marion. The film also stars Marion's husband, Fred Thomson, as the spy. Certainly one of Pickford's best efforts.

Show People (1928)

Marion Davies is a comic gem

[10/10 · 28 June 2000]

The great and underrated Marion Davies shows her stuff in this late (1928) silent comedy that also showcases the wonderful William Haines. Davies plays a hick from Georgia who crashes Hollywood with help from Haines. They appear in cheap comedies until Marion is "discovered" and becomes a big dramatic star. A great lampoon on Hollywood and its pretentions. Davies & Haines are a wonderful team (too bad they never made a talkie together) and the guest shots from the likes of Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, William S. Hart, John Gilbert, Elinor Glynn, and Marion Davies (you have to see it) are a hoot. A must for any serious film buff or for anyone interested in the still-maligned Marion Davies!

Employees' Entrance (1933)

Snappy and Cynical

[9/10 · 15 June 2000]

A great pre-Code comedy with Warren William at his best. He plays a ruthless store manager who manipulates everyone around him, including lovely Loretta Young and her hapless (secret) husband, Wallace Ford. This film never lets up as the manager grinds away at his employees. Definitely a product of its time, but it is thoroughly enjoyable. Also good are Alice White, Ruth Donnelly and Albert Gran.

Intolerance (1916)

A great achievement in film

[10/10 · 13 June 2000]

A great achievement in film for 1916 or any year. This masterpiece chronicles intolerance through the ages, and while the Jesus story and St. Bartholomew Massacre aren't up to snuff, their lackings are more than made up for in the "modern" story and in the Babylon episode. Absolutely fabulous sets for the Babylon scenes are jaw-droppingly great, and then there's a smashing performance by Constance Talmadge as the Mountain Girl---very likely cinema's first feminist heroine. Robert Harron and Mae Marsh are wonderful in the modern story (so is Vera Lewis) as the unlucky young lovers. D.W. Griffith certainly outdid himself when he wanted a super followup to "Birth of a Nation." Also notable in this remarkable cast are Lillian Gish, Seena Owen, Eugene Pallette, Bessie Love, Alfred Paget, Tully Marshall & Miriam Cooper as "the Friendless One." An absolute must for any serious student of the cinema!

Caesar and Cleopatra (1945)

Don't believe the negative hype!

[10/10 · 2 March 2000]

Don't believe Leonard Maltin et al. This is a wonderful movie with great performances by Vivien Leigh (Cleopatra), Claude Rains (Caesar), and Flora Robson (the maid). A truly literate and witty script and the solid appearances of Stewart Granger, Francis L. Sullivan, Ernest Thesiger, and Basil Sidney make this a must see. Anthony Harvey appears as Ptolemy; he later directed The Lion in Winter! Leigh and Rains are especially good and their chemistry together is peerless. The sets are also magnificent. A truly wonderful "adult" film. This is my by favorite Vivien Leigh performance.

Just Imagine (1930)

The Future Ain't What It Used To Be

[6/10 · 6 August 1999]

One of the weirdest movies of the 1930s, this sci-fi musical is set in 1980 and includes a trip to Mars as well as moderne sets, clothing, and vehicles. This film is an explosion of creaky production numbers and vaudeville set pieces (starring the famous fake Swede of the era--El Brendel). Along for the ride are Maureen O'Sullivan (she sings!), Frank Albertson, and John Garrick. The real gem here, however, is the wonderful Marjorie White, a pudgy dynamo who reminds me of Bette Midler. Tragically, White was killed in a car crash in 1934. Brendel is funny, White is a whirlwind of talent, O'Sullivan is lovely, BUT this whole does not equal its parts. Best line in the film is when Brendel spies the Queen of Mars but then points to her mincing minion and states, "She's not the queen ... HE is."

Show Boat (1936)

Irene Dunne's best musical moment

[10/10 · 27 July 1999]

The underrated Irene Dunne (never won an Oscar!) had her best musical hour in James Whale's Show Boat. Although this film version is abbreviated, it packs in more musical numbers than the overblown 50s version, including the racially sensitive numbers sung by Paul Robeson and Hattie McDaniel and Dunne's blackface version of "Galavanting." Other standouts include Charles Winninger, Helen Westley, and Helen Morgan. This was the film Whale wanted to be remembered for----and he should! Great stars! Great music! A great piece of Americana-----pre PC!

The Broadway Melody (1929)

The Grandaddy

[10/10 · 19 May 1999]

This charming antique must be viewed on its own terms--as a very early talkie. In this context, this is a splendid musical with terrific songs. The plot is creaky and the production numbers are stagy, but Bessie Love, Anita Page, and even Charles King have plenty of pzazz. King's rendition of the title song is one of the great moments in musical cinema, a forerunner of all the other great 30s musicals (42nd Street, Dames, the Golddiggers series, etc.) Love deserved her Oscar nomination as best actress. And I am very fond of the Love-Page duet on "The Boyfriend." Please view films in the context of their time!

Song of Norway (1970)

Worst movie I have ever seen

[1/10 · 15 December 1998]

This is quite simply the worst movie I've ever seen, barring low-budge horror flicks. For a big-budget film, this is the bottom of the barrel. The acting is atrocious; the music is lousy even though it is Grieg. The attempts to put lyrics to Grieg's music is ludicrous. As pretty as a postcard and just as interesting!

Sunset Blvd. (1950)

My all-time favorite film. Towering performances b...

[10/10 · 10 August 1998]

My all-time favorite film. Towering performances by Gloria Swanson, William Holden and Erich von Stroheim along with a perfect music score by Franz Waxman and a witty, biting script by Billy Wilder. Swanson's performance may be the single best performance by an actress in any American film--bar none. It certainly ranks with the best work of Katharine Hepburn, Bette Davis, or Meryl Streep. Swanson's vocal subtleties, ranging from imperious to coy to crazy are amazing. Because of its performances (Holden was never better), wit and bitingly honest look at Hollywood as a microcosm for the American Dream, this film is Number 1.